Alternatives to nuclear

An important new article from Rocky Mountain Institute: The Nuclear Illusion by Amory Lovins and Imran Sheikh. “Nuclear power is continuing its decades-long collapse in the global marketplace because it’s grossly uncompetitive, unneeded, and obsolete—so hopelessly uneconomic that one needn’t debate whether it’s clean and safe; it weakens electric reliability and national security; and it worsens climate change compared with devoting the same money and time to more effective options.” Read this to understand the reality of energy in the 21st century, and make sure your elected representatives at every level of government read it too.

Got Solar!

New report from World Wind Energy Association: 19.7 Gigawatts of wind power—the equivalent of 15-20 nuclear reactors—was added in 2007. Wind now generates more than 1% of worldwide electricity, and continues to be the world’s fastest growing source of power.

Jobs from Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency. New factsheet from Environmental and Energy Study Institute.

A new report from Greenpeace International and the European Photovoltaic Industry Association finds that Solar power can deliver electricity to more than 2 billion people and provide more than 2 million jobs with an annual investment of 113 billion Euros by 2025. According to the report, 350 million tons of CO2 emissions would be cut — the equivalent amount from 140 coal power stations — and by 2040, solar electricity could provide more than 16% of the global power demand.

“Factoids” on sustainable energy issues from the Sustainable Energy Coalition:
Introduction.
Factoid #1: Biomass Could Provide 15% of U.S. Energy Demand by 2030.
Factoid #2: Annual Installations of Rooftop Photovoltaics Could Power Hundreds of Thousands of Homes and Businesses by 2010.
Factoid #3: Wind Power Could Generate More Than Enough Sustainable Electricity to Meet Global Energy Needs.
Factoid #4: Biomass Could Provide at Least 12 Percent of California’s Electricity Needs.
Factoid #5: Untapped Geothermal Resources Could Provide 25,000MW of Electrical Generating Capacity
Factoid #6: U.S. Can Eliminate Oil Use in a Few Decades
Factoid #7: The Northeast Has Enough Efficiency Resources to Slow and Eventually Halt Growth in Electricity Demand
Factoid #8: Wind Power Could Generate 20% of Electricity by 2020; Renewable Fuels Can Largely Replace Gasoline by 2050
Factoid #9: California Can Satisfy 33 Percent of its Electricity Supply Needs With Renewable Energy by 2020 With Little or no Increase in Electric Rates.
Factoid #10: Western U.S. Could Reduce Electricity Use by 20% From Projected Levels by 2020
Factoid #11: Energy Use in Buildings Can be Cut by 14 Percent by 2020 Through Short-term Efficiency Policies
Factoid #12 — Solar Energy Could Provide 8,000+ MW of Capacity in Western States by 2015
Factoid #13 — Combined Heat & Power Could Provide an Additional 43,000 MW of Electrical Generating Capacity in Western States
Factoid #14 — California Has Potential For Almost 150GW of Wind Capacity
Factoid #15 — California Can Meet Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets at no Net Cost While Creating 20,000 Jobs And Expanding State’s Economy $60 Billion
Factoid #16 — Western U.S. Has 13,000 Megawatts of Near-Term Geothermal Power Potential
Factoid #17: U.S. Hydropower Can Be Increased By At Least 50 Percent
Factoid #18: Renewable Resources Could Provide 99 Percent of U.S. Electricity Generation by 2020